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DelDOT reminds candidates to pick up campaign signs to avoid roadside litter

Campaign signs at a polling place in Viola, Delaware
Rachel Sawicki
/
Delaware Public Media
Campaign signs at a polling place in Viola, Delaware

The Delaware Department of Transportation reminds candidates to take down their campaign signage.

Candidates have until December 8th, 30 days after the election, to remove their roadside campaign signage. This does not include any signage on private property.

DelDOT’s C.R. McLeod says DelDOT will start pulling them on December 9, and there will be a $25 fine for each sign left.

“For the first violation we will notify as a courtesy and say, ‘we did remove a sign,’ but for each subsequent sign that is removed, that does result in a $25 violation," McLeod said. "By and large, a majority of the candidates are really good about getting those signs picked up.”

McLeod expects candidates to start pulling their signs as early as the weekend.

He reminds candidates to remove any stakes in the ground as well.

“If those stakes are left in the ground or they’re broken off at the ground, they present issues for our lawn mowing operations and can actually cause damage," McLeod said. "So we really encourage everyone to repurpose those if at all possible but to not leave them out alongside the roads.”

McLeod says the longer the signs are left out, the more likely they are to get blown away into trees or block drainage pipes, becoming roadside litter.

DelDOT has already collected over 40,000 bags of trash this year.

Rachel Sawicki was born and raised in Camden, Delaware and attended the Caesar Rodney School District. They graduated from the University of Delaware in 2021 with a double degree in Communications and English and as a leader in the Student Television Network, WVUD and The Review.